UBC Thunderbirds' Kris Young is among the Canada West's leaders in a number of statistical categories. (Richard Lam, UBC athletics)

VANCOUVER — The question seemed appropriate enough, given that the theme of Kris Young’s Sociology 100 class at UBC this week surrounded the media and its affect on society.

So might a career in the field of journalism be something she was interested in pursuing?

“Well, considering that I have never been a fan of interviews,” she laughed out loud, before pausing.

Question answered.

No matter, the second-year star with the Thunderbirds women’s basketball team has always preferred to let her play on the court do the talking, and in that regard, she’s speaking volumes these days.

Heading into a two-game Canada West weekend series against the UBC Okanagan Heat at War Memorial Gym (Friday 6 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m.), the 6-foot guard from North Vancouver is among the leaders in nine of the conference’s 13 individual statistical categories, seven of which she sits in the Top 10, including scoring (third at 16.8 ppg), field goal percentage (fourth, 52.6), free throw percentage (fourth, 86.8) and assists (fifth, 4.4 apg).

Considering that she’s just 30 games into a 90-game Canada West regular season career, it’s no wonder that Young is creating a buzz throughout conference.

“I don’t think there is going to be a cap on how good she can get,” admits teammate and backcourt partner Kristen Hughes, who as a high school senior prepped with a then ninth-grade Young at Handsworth Secondary in 2006-07. “I think she is finally starting to see herself how talented she really is, and her confidence is starting to become a little more forceful. She brings so many different facets to the game and if one of those is taken away, she knows how to get to another one.”

Take Saturday’s 64-49 road win against the Winnipeg Wesmen, a victory which improved the CIS No. 3-ranked ‘Birds record to 10-2 and extended its season-high win streak to six games. In that contest, Young dished out 11 assists to go along with 10 points, a double-double which continued to reinforce to head coach Deb Huband that her sophomore may be one of the most versatile players she has brought into the program over her 17-year tenure.

And, Huband explains, as Young continues to feel more and more comfortable within the hierarchy of the team, even bigger and better things will happen.

“She has always been competitive, but she is allowing herself to be less reserved and more externally passionate on the floor than we have seen,” said Huband of Young who earlier this season scored 31 points in an overtime loss at Calgary. “She has played more in the moment and she has been more liberated to play freely. And that is a big shift in her since a year ago.”

Young, who is averaging 10.3 points per game more than in her freshman season, can shoot off the pull-up, play in the post, dish off penetration and grab the defensive rebounds that ignite fast breaks. But adding the ability to inspire her team even more through her words and body language on the court seem to constitute a large part of the ceiling Hughes speaks of.

And Young herself admits that taking on a more substantial role this season has been much easier because of both the character and the level of the veteran talent that surrounds her.

Fifth-year senior forwards Alex Vieweg and Zara Huntley each bring their own multi-dimensional skill packages to the floor, while fourth year players Leigh Stansfield in the post and Hughes on the perimetre, simply add to the Birds’ ability to create mismatches and stretch the floor for opposing defenses.

“Our team this year is extremely close-knit and very positive and it’s nice to play with players who don’t worry about who is scoring,” says Young. “If I do something right on the court, I have four cheerleaders. They’re supportive but not afraid to say something to me if I need to do something different.

“This year, I am just worried about winning,” she continues. “I know none of them are going to take anything I say personally. So I need to step up, and if I see something I need to be vocal about, I can’t hold back if that’s how we’re going to win.”

Upon Young’s committment to UBC in the spring of 2010, Huband compared a lot of her skills to that of 2008 graduate Erica McGuinness, who helped lead the Birds to three national titles. And Huband isn’t about to back down on those comments.

“I said it because I meant it,” Huband said. “Like Erica, we’ve seen Kris expand her game in her second year and take on more responsibility within the group. And I am excited because this is the second year. There’s still three more to go.”

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